The New York Rangers acquire Tyler Motte, Nick Merkley, Andrew Copp and Justin Braun. Here is each players stats and expected roles.
Tyler Motte
The Rangers acquired Motte from the Vancouver Canucks for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick.
Motte was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round of the 2013 Draft. He made his NHL debut on October 12, 2016 against the St. Louis Blues earning an assist.
Motte has 62 points and 76 penalty minutes in 260 games played. He has played on the Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Canucks, where he spent most of his playing career. Now that he is with the Rangers, what is he expected to do?
The Rangers are expecting him to be a physical presence. He led the Canucks with 555 hits since 2017 and led all Canucks players in hits last season with 100.
Motte is pretty good on defense as well, blocking 51 shots on goal for the Canucks.
Nick Merkley
The Rangers acquired Merkley from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Anthony Bitetto.
Merkley was selected in the first round by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 Draft. He made his NHL debut on December 19, 2017 against the Florida Panthers.
In his career, Merkley played in 41 games with 15 points and 11 penalty minutes. The teams he played for are the Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and the Sharks.
As a current member of the Rangers, Merkley can play either left or right wing, adding some offense. In the nine games he has played with the Sharks, he has three points. His skills can only get better when surrounded by amazing players such as Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin, among other greats.
Andrew Copp
The Rangers acquired Copp, along with a 2023 sixth-round draft pick from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Morgan Barron, two conditional second-round picks (stated below) and a 2023 fifth-round pick.
Here are the conditions:
- Conditional second-round pick 1 (the Rangers 2022 second-round pick; becomes a first-round pick in 2022 if the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Final and Copp plays in at least 50 percent of the Rangers’ playoff games)
- Conditional second-round pick 2 (either the Rangers 2023 second-round pick or the Blues 2022 second-round pick)
Copp was drafted in 2013 by the Jets in the fourth round. He made his NHL debut on April 11, 2015 against the Calgary Flames, getting an assist.
In his career, Copp has played in 467 games with 184 points and 82 penalty minutes. This year, Copp has 35 points in 56 games.
The Rangers are looking to use Copp for some more offense as he ranked fifth in points (74) and assists (46), along with sixth in goals (28) on the Jets. Adding offensive players like this doesn’t hurt.
Justin Braun
The Rangers acquired Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.
Braun was selected by the Sharks as a seventh-round pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut on April 8, 2010 against the Phoenix Coyotes only playing just under five minutes total.
In his career, Braun has played in 783 games with 195 points and 298 penalty minutes. He spent most of his career on the Sharks, but is currently on the Flyers, having spent the last few seasons with them.
The Rangers are looking at his offense, defense, as well as his physical play. On the Flyers, Braun recorded 79 hits and a team-high 114 blocked shots. He averages approximately 20 minutes of time on ice this year. The Rangers want more of that and will look to utilize his defensive skills.
Stanley Cup Bound?
The Rangers are making deals to an already power-packed team. It looks like the Rangers are looking to seal any gaps they have. By filling them, they are surely playoff-bound. Could it be the Rangers are hungry for a Stanley Cup victory? Of course they are! They haven’t won it since the 1993-94 season. They want to fill in any hole that they may have, making them the best team they can be.
As the season winds down, it will be an interesting journey. Hopefully, the Rangers make it all the way and win it. Now wouldn’t that be something?
Featured Image Courtesy of Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images
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